


Think Like A Man

by starsaligns



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, F/F, F/M, Humor, Movie AU, Romance, book AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-19
Packaged: 2018-03-17 13:22:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3530906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsaligns/pseuds/starsaligns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU based on the movie based on the book. During the impending divorce of Nyssa and Sara al Ghul, six friends conspire to turn the tables on their women when they discover the ladies have been using Steve Harvey's relationship advice against them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Liv at redpendreaming and Bernadette at stemelies on Tumblr for telling me to go for it.
> 
> You can find me at huntrcss on Tumblr for updates on this story and more!

It's guys night at Verdant—guys night before the club opens at Verdant. It's the only day of the week where the guys would be able to hang out and get something to drink and rant about everything in their lives while watching whatever game was on the television that afternoon. It's a safe zone, a place where anyone wouldn't be judged and nobody misses it.

Guys' night happens after guys' day, where they work out and play basketball together in the gym just three blocks from the club.

There's Oliver and Tommy. Tommy owns the club that they meet in and Oliver as his stepbrother ends up being the moocher that manages it, even though he's the heir of a fortune 500 company and has the degree to go with it. They have a shared sister, but never bring her around to prove it.

Roy's a waiter at Verdant and John Diggle is Oliver and Tommy's bodyguard. He's more like a best friend than a bodyguard, Special Forces and army training to back it up. Roy's just a kid from the streets with big dreams and a big heart to boot.

Eddie's there too, the son of a politician who wanted to do better than his father so he became a cop. And then there's Sara, who's not technically a guy, but has known Oliver and Tommy since she started at the club and is as guy as guy can come. No one says anything about her joining and adding her commentary as long as she keeps the liquor flowing. She's a bartender at Verdant and usually provides more of the interesting stories.

"I can't take it anymore. I cannot wait for this divorce to be finalized", she ends up talking to the group as she walks up the steps to the open-air club, glaring at the friends that are looking up to her. Sara's married to Nyssa, and though the gang has never met the other woman, they really don't want to, considering the stories that Sara tells them.

The group groans out and passes her a bottle of beer, which she drowns half in one moment. "Man", Eddie speaks out now, a tall guy with light hair and innocent blue eyes. "When is this divorce going to be done anyway?"

"Four weeks, three days, seven hours—but who's really counting?"

Soft mumbles from the group and hand shoving around ends up enraging Sara even more. "You know what we should do", Roy starts out before moving just a moment. "We should take Sara out tonight for a celebration, then. Game night. The Starling City Rockets are playing their first home game of the season."

A consensus is about to be offered, but is interrupted as one of the afternoon bartenders bring over more drinks, who winks at Tommy before going away again. Oliver is the one who makes a face. "Seriously", he starts. "Another one?"

"Yes, another one", he replies to his brother. "Alexandria. Twenty-two. Loves rolling her Rs."

The others groan out before Oliver brings out his phone and calls up his own girlfriend. She's on a train to Central City, doing something with work and sometimes he worries about her safety; but he never really lets anyone pick up on it. Five seconds of checking up with each other, he returns back to the conversation and shows Tommy the text he's gotten from her. "How great is Felicity", he says, a ghost of a smile on his face before Sara leans over and smacks his head from behind.

"Not everyone's been in a relationship with a girl for two years and happy, brother of mine", Tommy supplies before downing the rest of his beer and opening another.

Diggle's the first one to disagree. "Lyla and I are very happy", he starts out, nodding his head and leaning back in his seat. "In fact, we're supposed to be going to my nephew AJ's concert recital this afternoon."

The group groans again before the older male defensively holds out his hands. "He's really good—"

"—oh yeah", Sara starts out before taking a seat right next to Roy. "What does he play?"

"The violin", Diggle offers. Roy groans and shakes his head. "Your nephew has way too many recitals."

"And besides", Sara continues before opening another beer. "If your nephew is playing the violin, that means he's gay."

Diggle raises an eyebrow to the blond, skeptical of her words. "Really", he starts out to challenge the ludicrousy of the statement; but is still amused to begin with. "Name one person who plays the violin that's gay."

Sara pauses for a moment, trying to rack her brain for answer before she starts out with a smirk on her face. "Your nephew."

Eddie shrugs his shoulders. "I can't do tonight anyway. My mom's cooking dinner and she's really adamant on me being there."

Tommy is the one that stops the uproar from the group now, holding out his hands in order to calm the group down. "Look", he says. "Sara's about to be free from the shackles of marriage and you're going to miss it for an AJ recital and your mother?"

Sara points to Tommy with a pleading look on her face and nods to the rest of the guys. She's willing to do anything out of going home for the night with the demon head. It's only when Eddie perks his head up and suggests that they go to his mother's house for dinner that she starts rounding up on him. "I wanna punch you, Thawne", she starts. "I'm not going over to your mother's house to celebrate my damn divorce."

"I'm just saying! You gotta eat."

"I am not going over to your mama's house", Sara retorts before waving him off and the guys end up rambling about things again. "I'm just saying, she has that new Tyler Perry movie on DVD that we can just pop in and watch or we can watch the game over at her house, you know", he supplies and Roy holds out his hand to stop him.

"Let me tell you what happens", the young male starts out, green eyed with a hint of mischief before bringing up his beer. "Janet Jackson's husband dies and she ends up finding a good man with a nice heart to cry with. We good? Are we ready to party now?"

Oliver raises his hand to high five Roy and clink their bottles together. It doesn't take long for the others to continue and hold up theirs as well.

"Life is great, guys", Tommy starts out and throws a wink at the bartender who was looking at them. "May it never change."


	2. The Girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So last chapter we had an introduction to the guys, now here's an introduction to the girls. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who's bookmarked, gave kudos, and subscribed to this. You're all awesome.
> 
> This chapter is a little bit longer than the last, mostly because the girls are in separate scenes. Please remember to leave kudos or reviews. Critique is vastly appreciated, yes.
> 
> Find me at tommymerlyn.gq on Tumblr!

“Yes, Oliver”, Felicity Smoak ends up speaking into the cell phone that’s pressed to her ear. She’s on the phone with her boyfriend while she’s stepping out of a train station. “The train just stopped and Caitlin’s on her way, she just texted me. Don’t get into too much trouble with the boys, alright? And don’t mess up the house--Oliver.”

She groans when the call becomes disconnected and shoves it back into her coat pocket. She loves him, she knows that and tells him that all the time. In fact, she knows that he’s the only person for her and that they’re true soulmates.

She just wants him to grow the fuck up sometimes.

“Felicity!”

The blonde turns around from the platform at the train station with a wide smile on her face. She’s in Central City for just a day, doing something for work that Palmer Industries wanted her to do and she thought about catching up for lunch with her friend Caitlin. It’s a spur of the moment trip and she definitely didn’t even have time to go to her apartment to pack, but she’s glad that she has a friend in the town that would definitely take care of her when she can. “Cait”, she lets out before wrapping her arms around the tall brunette in a tight hug. After a night like last night, she definitely needed.

“Come on, we’ll get lunch at the diner across the street and you can tell me all about you and Oliver so far.”

Felicity sighs, licking her lips as they walked towards the diner in ease. That’s the one mistake she regrets—she had to tell Caitlin that she and Oliver were on the outs (on her end, Oliver thinks everything’s fine, really) and now relationship guru Dr. Caitlin Snow wants to dissect them and make them their pet project.

She loves her best friend, she really does, but she can’t do this for the rest of her life.

They settle down to an easy stance, Caitlin telling her how she and Ronnie were planning a wedding in the spring over salads and iced tea and Felicity even wonders how she managed to do it. She remembers Ronnie to be one lazy ass son of a gun, flaking on Caitlin and she would be the one to pick up the pieces. Then miraculously, he turns his life around and ends up being this perfect guy—getting a job as an electrical engineer to STAR Laboratories and starts getting promotion after promotion.

“How”, Felicity ends up interrupting Caitlin in the middle of a tangent about the difference between seafoam and mint green. “How did you get Ronnie to commit? To pop the question and get married?”

A knowing smile dashes upon the brunette’s lips and she pulls out a book from her purse. “I thought that was the problem between you and Oliver”, she speaks out and flips through the book itself. Felicity widens her eyes and crosses her legs.

Of course she’s heard about Steve Harvey’s book—a self-help book that dives into the minds of men, as the cover advertises it—and the movie’s actually pretty interesting to begin with. Never did she think that Caitlin would be the one to be able to actually get the book and use it. “Wait”, Felicity speaks out, and holds out her hand for it. “Are you trying to tell me that you got Ronnie to commit to you by reading this…thing? 

“Mhm”, Caitlin nods proudly. “Try it, give it a shot. You can have that copy, by the way. I even highlighted some things in there that might even be useful.”

It’s crazy for Felicity to admit, but she’s really considering it. If it would get Oliver off of his lazy ass and actually propose, she’s going to do it.

* * *

The television plays in the background as a tall brunette starts with preparing lunch. It’s soft enough not to bother the rest of the house, but still loud enough for her to hear. It’s situated on one of those afternoon talk shows that she likes catching up on the weekends. Right now, it’s Steve Harvey on one of them talking about a self help book that he wrote for women.

She’s only half paying attention to it as she flips the grilled cheese in the pan and moves on to stir the tomato soup in another pot and only perks up towards the screen once she recognizes something familiar to her.

Her hands her on her hips as she listens to him talk about introducing a potential partner and not having it work before she scoffs. “I know that’s right”, she says to herself, agreeing when she hears about wasting six months of her life on a guy only to have him leave the two weeks after he meets her son for the first time.

But what gets to her the most is when he says she’s been wasting her time. Her free hand goes to her waist, eyes furrowing at the television, and actually contemplates what’s happening. Was she really just taking his words into consideration?  It’s something smart, of course, knowing that the bad luck she’s been having in the dating department—and it had been a long time since she’s had an actual date.

Not that she’s complaining because the only man in her life right now that matters is her son, Taylor.

“Hi, Mom”, the seven year old speaks out before sitting down at the island, coming in from playing basketball right downstairs in the apartment complex gym. “Hey, baby”, she says before starting to turn the television down and bringing the soup down to a simmer instead of a boil. “Go wash your hands. Lunch is almost done.”

“But Mo—“

She just gives him a look and he runs off to the bathroom to do so.

Her half smile grows slightly, remembering the day she adopted Taylor when he was just one year old, and the exact moment; but it’s only broken when she hears her cell phone ring. “Dinah Laurel Lance”, she says absentmindedly, not checking the caller ID before speaking. “How can I help you?”

“Are you hearing this crap”, the other end of the call yells in her ear and she laughs. “Thea. I thought you would be at work.”

“I am at work. I’m on the treadmill in my office. Are you hearing this load of bullshit that he’s telling everyone?”

Laurel shrugs her shoulders as if her friend and godmother to her child would be able to see. “He makes valid points, Thea.”

“Don’t tell me you’re feeding into his load of bullshit. Why should I have to settle and lower my standards if I want to meet a man?”

With a click of the stove, she starts to balance the phone between her shoulders and her ear, pouring the tomato soup into a bowl and slicing the grilled cheese just the way Taylor wants it. Thea’s still going on about she has a plan, a goal, and the man that she wants in her life needs to be able to meet these standards.

“I mean, is it bad enough to meet a guy that’s as successful as I am? Women would flock if I was a man and told them I was COO of a fortune 500 company.”

Laurel laughs. “Yeah, but men flee. Maybe it’s a good idea to get this book”, and she ponders for a moment, handing off the food to her son before going towards her open computer. And yes, she ends up ordering two copies—one for her and Thea—and having it in store pick up for Monday just before she goes into work.

“Oh god, you’re really buying into it.”

And maybe she is, but she’s tired of living life on her own and Taylor needs to be able to have a good moral support system in his life.  “Just think about it, Thea”, she says before she hangs up.

Maybe this would be a good thing.

* * *

 

 _“Maybe you should stop 'hooking up'”_ , the television speaks out in the lone coffee shop and a brunette smiles. She’s in line to pick up two lattes she’s ordered from the shop down the street from her apartment, biting down at her bottom lip in quick anticipation to get home. Last night was the fifth date between she and Eric, and the date continued on to the next morning. Suffice to say, she’s completely satisfied for the moment and glad to be able to gain some dignity. 

“Exactly”, she speaks out, mumbling to the person beside her as she grabs her latte.  “Get some dignity and self-respect.”

She’s always prided herself in being able to weed out the good from the bad, the ugly from the kindhearted, and occassionaly she has a few bad eggs from time to time; but the brunette feels like Eric might be the great guy she’s reading about everywhere. And she feels like she deserves her Prince Charming after kissing so many damn frogs.

After the lattes are in her hands, she makes the short walk back to her apartment and into her bedroom, finding him still asleep in her bed. “Hey there, sleepyhead”, she whispers into his ear and he stirs in his sleep, smiling as the coffee hits him in his face. “Hey beautiful”, he whispers and she about trembles after remembering bits and pieces of last night. 

“So I was thinking”, she starts out, putting the coffee on the nightstand and going to her closet to change. She figures he stayed overnight, he’d be willing to spend the day with her too, right? Wasn’t this how it went? They were technically together, right? She could definitely call them together. “That we go out to that restaurant down the street? The new sushi place? "

“Yeah—that’s great, baby”, she hears muffled before smiling wide. Maybe they’d be able to prolong lunch into dinner if she has her way. The outfit she changes into his something that leaves little to the imagination—a floral teddy in order to surprise him. “Yeah, and then maybe since it’s already so late”, she continues on and opens the closet door and stops.

The room is empty. Both lattes are gone, and in the space where Eric had occupied had been a note.

_“Missy, last night was great.”_

Her heart sinks, anger welling within her while she hears her front door slam shut. “It’s Cassandra, asshole”, she yells out, crumpling the paper and throwing it onto the floor quick.

So much for the five date rule.

**Author's Note:**

> So the story is starting out slow for the moment, but I have about three chapters written so far so here's hoping!
> 
> Please read and review.


End file.
